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AMD Linux Catalyst: Hardware Owners Screwed?

05-31-2012, 02:40 PM

Phoronix: AMD Linux Catalyst: Hardware Owners Screwed?

Word is breaking today on the Windows-focused web-sites that AMD's Catalyst driver program has fundamentally changed. How does this impact Linux Catalyst users? Unfortunately, it will likely prove to be in a bad way...

Really... those close source drivers which Linus T. tolerates start to be a pain for everybody. Really. We need ultra high performance GNU GPL drivers for Linux and for *GOOD*. The DRM(BSD)/Mesa(MIT) is turning into a giga-kludge... what a mess, I don't perdict an happy ending, I'm scared.

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I am glad that I don't own any AMD graphics card.
I've actually been curious about getting AMD due to them providing documentation to open source developers, but have been hesitant to do so because AMD on Linux is too buggy and the fgrlx is not updated with new X.org releases.

But this news just make it all worse. I won't buy from AMD anything, neither CPU or GPU.

I currently use Nvidia and it works great. But in the future, I won't buy AMD or Nvidia, in the future I will be Intel CPU with integrated graphics because its cheaper to not buy graphics card and the Intel graphics performance is "good enough" even for some gaming.

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I am going to have to keep an eye on this for sure. I run a Q6600 with a Radeon 3870. I am running F17 right now on the open drivers and for basic desktop stuff it is ok. For gaming not so much. I truly wish those "Open Source" drivers everyone kept screaming about would materialize soonish. It would seem "We have 2D up and running that is all I care about screw everyone else", this is a bunch of whoooey!

What if I wanted to do some Blender? Oh right, go get myself an Nvidia...period.. Well, it has been a while, but I suppose it may be time to go Nvidia again soonish. Kind of leaning towards Intel for my next upgrade CPU as well, instead of AMD. Getting tired of waiting on AMD to "Get it done". Intel seems to be getting with the program these days with Linux.

What I really would like to see is a good ARM 15 "desktop-ish" type system. I would grab one for word processing / internet stuff in a N.Y.-Minute!

Edit: @bridgman - Thank you for clarifying sir. I will keep an eye out.

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Great,just great .I was hopping to get at least another AMD hd4870 card for crossfire but now i dont even care.I always tried to distanced myself from these rage trains but this is just too much! AMD you fcked up!